broken laptop screen, hooked up to TV, doesn't quite work?

[RillaBlythe]

okay, so the screen on my laptop is broken (apparently it is a motherboard issue...?)

I have got a DVI/VGA adaptor ? for is, & a VGA cable, & I have plugged it into the TV. The photo on the backdrop comes up on the TV, & the mouse arrow is visible & responds when I move it around.... but that is it. None of the icons come up.

Any ideas why not?

The only reason I have tried to set this up is because there is loads of data I need to get off that laptop & can't do it blind!

Some laptops can use an external display
(a) to 'mirror' what the laptop screen shows, and
(b) as an extension to the desktop

Some laptops only do (a)

Your laptop may be doing (b) in which case you could check your manual (on various laptops I have, the VGA {| other} output is controlled with Fn and one of the Function keys (eg F4, F5 or F6)

The options may be
(1) disable the external display
(2) mirror the laptop screen
(3) extend the desktop

If you can switch it to 'mirror' the laptop screen, then your icons and Task Bar / Start button / System Tray should appear on your TV. Sometimes the display is too big to fit the TV and you may see part of the top/ bottom of the screen going 'off the edge' but if you get as far as seeing the majority of icons, you should be OK to do what you need.

Good luck !

Meant to ask what make and model, in case you stay 'stuck' ?

Thank you for a very helpful post!

It's a MacBook from 2006. The TV is a new one so probably capable of what it needs to do, I suspect it's the laptop that is the weak link.

Can you try connecting the mac to the display while it is turned off/asleep and then turn it on? This often works with SmartBoards at school!

Ah, sorry. Was thinking of the (several) Windows laptops I've used over the years, hence my confusion. Hope the solution is there in RB's post!